8.1.2

The Church

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The Church

The Church was very important in the way the country was run. It was powerful due to the involvement of churchmen in politics, education and land ownership.

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Bishops

  • All of the bishops in England also sat in the House of Lords, and therefore influence which laws could be passed.
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Land

  • The Church owned about 1/3 of the land in England. This made it incredibly powerful and influential.
  • This land would produce goods and taxes for the King, as well as giving jobs to the peasants who worked on it.
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King's advisors

  • Many of the top churchmen worked in government to advise the King.
  • Lower down, it would be Church-trained clerks who would do all of the paperwork necessary to run the country. For example, the Treasury and law courts.
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Education

  • Churches were often the only place of education available to the public.
  • The Church could teach boys how to read and write in Latin, to train them to become priests.
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Libraries

  • The Church also ran the majority of libraries and was the main place where books could be produced, carefully copied out by hand by the monks.
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The Pope

  • The Head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, had the final say on who became an Archbishop in each country.
  • They also sent special representatives, called cardinals, to make sure everything was running as it should, or to hear special law cases.
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Power of the Pope

  • The Pope was seen as having power over all of the monarchs of Europe because he was appointed by God to lead the Church.
  • We can see this power when the Holy Roman Emperors (rulers of roughly modern-day Germany) had to be approved and anointed by the Pope.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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